For those of you less concerned with the merciless task of ‘keeping up’ with the Kardashians, or whose Ambien induced sleep-purchase of a GQ subscription goes unread month after month, the name Olivier Rousteing will ring zero bells. But at just 30 years old, this fresh-faced Balmain creative director is revolutionizing a brand whose inception dates back to 1945, proving himself to be a name worth dropping like it’s haute.

The Parisian-based designer label has always stuck true to its roots; sharp silhouettes, dramatic structuring, and as expected when you (okay, well maybe not you) purchase a multi-thousand dollar garment, the highest of quality construction and materials. Now, in their 70th anniversary year they have agreed to switch it up ever so slightly.

Women’s designs staying true to their most recent collections and menswear closely resembling a Kanye West wet dream, Balmain has teamed up with H&M to release the most successful collaboration to date. For years now, the fast-fashion retailer has released lines with high-end designers to cross promote the brands and appeal to demographics not typically targeted.

While diffusion lines (secondary, lower price-point collections) seem to be slowly phasing out of the fashion industry, collaborations are doing just the opposite. These limited edition, one time release pieces will never produce as much revenue for designers as their mainlines–but when done correctly, expose the brand to a whole new tax bracket of customer, without the risk of investment costs to facilitate a whole new sub-label. By strategically using Instagram-adored celebrities such as Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and Mr. Rousteing himself as pre-release social media promoters, the ridiculous #hmbalmaination took off, removing any doubt that this will be huge.

...and huge it was. On the November 5th release date, nearly every piece was sold out internationally within hours. That was to be expected. But what happened next was astounding. Trying to snag the pieces on Ebay from resellers was near impossible for the average H&M customer. Leather jackets priced at $549 were being bidded on that very day for $3,000, $49 sweatshirts were going for $400. The most shocking of all was a $17 black beanie hat with nothing more than “Balmain Paris” embroidered 2 inches across the front selling for $200. Balmain-ia was in full force.

The clothes themselves possess an interesting juxtaposition to many of today’s mainstream trends. The average fast-fashion man isn’t wearing jewel-encrusted blazers, 1980s reminiscent red leather biker jackets, or velour sport coats... and that’s precisely the point. This collection is about bringing the feeling of opulence and affluence to a broader range of people. There are still t-shirts, henleys, and tank tops. But that’s not the bread and butter of Olivier’s creation. With this latest release’s success it will be no surprise to watch variations of this new money, in your face style infiltrate our favorite brand’s racks.

Photos: The Fashionisto